Oh for Pete's sake Do we have to put up with this kind of grandstanding?

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-for Dummy), has grandiloquently announced that he will go on a 24 hour hunger strike in solidarity with some Occupy DC activists who are going without food in protest for DC voting rights.

Examiner:

Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., embarked on a 24-hour hunger strike in solidarity with four Occupy DC protesters who have gone without food since Dec. 8 to advocate for D.C. voting rights.

Ellison, the first Muslim to serve in the House, met with the hunger strikers Thursday and pledged to read their declaration - which calls for full voting rights for District residents as well as legislative and budget autonomy - on the floor of the House of Representatives to enter it into the congressional record.

If you want to advocate for DC voting rights, that's fine. It goes against the original intent of the Founders who did not want the US capitol to be part of any state, or made into an independent entity because so many Congressmen live in the District and might vote themselves perks and privileges. But if Ellison wants to lobby for it, not a problem.

The problem is in employing these grandstanding tactics. Ellison's colleagues should take him down for the hunger strike. It makes congress look even more ridiculous than it already is. It's an unnecessary stunt that should bring criticism from his Democratic friends, but won't.